‘The Virtues’ Producer Nickie Sault Launches Indie Class 5 With Film Adaptation Of Ben Myers Novel ‘Rare Singles’

Nickie Sault, who has produced many of Shane Meadows‘ titles, has branched out on her own and launched independent producer Class 5.

The BAFTA-nominated producer is launching her Sheffield-based company with a film adaptation of author Ben Myers‘ novel ‘Rare Singles‘ in development, in association with Warner Music Entertainment.

Sault is known for her work with director Meadows, which began back in 2005 with This is England when she was runner. Over the following decades, she produced various This is England films and shows, and produced Meadows’ BBC and A24 drama The Gallows Pole and The Virtues, which This is England co-writer Jack Thorne penned. She was also a producer on Peter Bowker’s BBC war series World on Fire, which was cancelled earlier this year, and BBC/Prime Video comedy thriller The Outlaws.

Class 5 will make TV and film, focused on stories that “enrich the human experience, while fostering a space where creativity flourishes and opportunities are accessible to both emerging and seasoned storytellers.”

Rare Singles, the first example of that, is set in Chicago and Scarborough and billed as a “warm, tender and funny story about unlikely friendships, second chances, and the magic of soul music.”

“I believe that film and television has the power to drive societal change, and I take that responsibility seriously,” said Sault. “When people spend their hard-earned money to see a film or commit hours of their life to watching something on television, we, as creators, need to earn that privilege by making sure that what we put out into the world is meaningful. Class 5 strives for the best experience both on and off screen.

“At Class 5, every collaborator regardless of rank or role, is welcomed into a safe environment where their voice is encouraged and valued. I am thrilled to be continuing my collaboration with the incredible Ben Myers, and honoured that I get to work alongside Warner Music Entertainment in co-producing Ben’s very first feature film adaptation, Rare Singles.”

Myers said it was “a great honour to be part of the launch of Class 5”, adding, “Nickie Sault has had a huge hand in making some of the most original and powerful drama in recent years and has been directly involved in the development of ‘Rare Singles’ since it was a half-written novel. Working together under the wise guidance of Ally Gipps at Warners, I couldn’t hope for a better entry into the screenwriting world.” 

Ally Gipps at Warner Music Entertainment said: “This is a project we really believe in, and in Nickie we have an amazing partner who will get the absolute best out of it.”

Next year, Class 5 will launch Class 5 Crew, a not-for-profit organization with the purpose of supporting the next generation of working-class film and TV talent. Sault comes from a working-class family and was the daughter of a miner at the long closed Grimethorpe Colliery in Barnsley, Yorkshire.